Greek Zucchini Pie
This post may contain affiliate links.
Traditional Greek Zucchini Pie, also known as Kolokithopita, is a seriously delicious savory pie with a flaky phyllo crust and zucchini feta filling. It’s absolutely delicious as an appetizer, or served as part of a savory brunch. Come fall in love with the flavors of Greece with this simple, scrumptious recipe!
Table of contents
On our honeymoon in Santorini, Greece, I absolutely fell in love with this Greek Zucchini Pie. It was served at our hotel at brunch and I looked forward to it every morning.
On our last morning there I must have eaten three slices. I also took pictures of the inside of the pie and wrote down tasting notes so I could come recreate it at home. Yes, this is what a food blogger does on their honeymoon!
The filling consists mostly of fresh grated zucchini and feta cheese. It’s seasoned with garlic, fresh dill, parsley and mint. The combination of salty feta cheese with fresh herbs and zucchini, all wrapped up in buttery, flaky phyllo dough, is an absolute winning combination.
If you’ve ever had spanakopita, this recipe is very similar, but we’re replacing the spinach with zucchini. This dish is delightful for a savory brunch, the perfect snack for a party, or a delicious appetizer to start an epic Greek meal.
Ingredients
- Zucchini – for this recipe you’ll want two pounds of fresh zucchini. This will be approximately 4-6 small to medium size zucchini or 2-3 large zucchini.
- Onion – I recommend a yellow onion for this recipe, as it’s the best for cooking and has the most neutral flavor.
- Garlic – I always recommend fresh minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Extra virgin olive oil – if you can find Greek olive oil, even better!
- Greek yogurt – always use plain Greek Yogurt, without any added flavors. I recommend a high quality, whole milk Greek yogurt for the best flavor. I’ve tested this recipe with Greek Gods (pictured above) and Chobani, and would recommend both of these brands.
- Eggs – the eggs are whisked up and act as a binder in the filling.
- Feta cheese – for this recipe, you’ll want 1 pound of feta cheese. If you can find fresh Greek feta, definitely pick that up to use in this recipe. But a tub of feta cheese crumbles found at almost all American grocery stores, will also work just fine.
- Fresh dill, parsley and mint – these fresh herbs combined really make the flavor of this dish sing! For this recipe, I highly recommend using fresh herbs, instead of dried herbs. It really makes a difference in the final taste of the dish.
- Salt and black pepper – to season the filling.
- Phyllo dough – you will find phyllo dough (it might also be labeled fillo dough) in the freezer section at most major grocery stores. You will need to defrost the phyllo sheets before starting this recipe. You can thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or on the counter at room temperature for 3-4 hours.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Peel and grate the zucchini. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin from the zucchini. Cut off the ends of each zucchini. Use a box grater, salad shooter or the grating attachment on a KitchenAid to grate the zucchini. Place the grated zucchini in a large colander in the sink. Sprinkle with salt, just about 1/4 teaspoon will work, then leave the zucchini in the sink to drain for at least 20 minutes, up to 1 hour. After this time, wrap paper towels tightly around the grated zucchini and squeeze any remaining moisture out of the zucchini.
- Prepare the zucchini filling. While the zucchini is draining, cook the onions. Add olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add diced onions and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside. After the zucchini has been squeezed in a towel to remove any remaining moisture, add it to a large bowl. Add the cooked onions and garlic. Also add olive oil, eggs, Greek yogurt, feta cheese, fresh dill, parsley, mint, salt and pepper.
- Combine the filling. Mix all of the filling ingredients together in the bowl until well combined.
- Prepare the phyllo dough. After the filling is prepared, it’s time to assemble the pie. Pour some olive oil (around 1/4 – 1/2 cup) in a small bowl and grab a pastry brush. Spray a 9 inch x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Open the box of phyllo dough and unroll the dough onto a clean surface. Grab one sheet of phyllo dough and place it in the prepared baking dish. Brush the entire sheet of dough with olive oil.
- Layer the phyllo dough. Continue to layer 7 more sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with olive oil before adding the next sheet of dough.
- Add the filling. Pour the zucchini mixture on top of the phyllo dough in the baking dish.
- Add the top layer of phyllo dough. Place a sheet of phyllo dough on top of the zucchini pie filling. Brush with olive oil. Repeat with 5 more sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with olive oil before adding the next sheet of dough. When each sheet of phyllo dough has been placed on top of the filling, tuck in the sides of the dough, so that there’s no dough overlapping outside of the baking dish. Make sure the entire top of the pie is covered in olive oil. Use a sharp knife to cut 6-8 slashes (1-2 inches long) in the top of the pie so that steam can release as the pie bakes in the oven.
- Bake the pie. Place the pie in a preheated 350°F oven for 50-60 minutes, or until the top layer of the crust starts to turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and let rest at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
Pro tips
- Don’t skip the step of draining the zucchini! Zucchini has a high moisture content. If you simply grate it and add it straight to the filling, the zucchini will release too much liquid as the pie bakes in the oven and you will get a soggy pie. No one wants that!
- Always be sure to thaw the phyllo dough ahead of time! Either place the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw at room temperature for at least 3 hours.
- Do not remove the phyllo pastry sheets from the box until you’re ready to prepare the pie! Phyllo dough dries out quickly, so you don’t want to remove it from the packaging until you’re ready to use the dough. Once the filling for the pie is prepared and you’ve greased a baking pan, you’re ready to remove the phyllo dough and start assembling the pie.
- This recipe can be made ahead of time. Make the filling up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the pie. The entire pie can be assembled and baked up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover and store the pie in the refrigerator. When ready to serve the pie, place it back in the oven, covered, at 325°F for 15-20 minutes to reheat the entire pie.
Storage and reheating
Store any leftover pie in the fridge, either covered in the baking dish or in an airtight container. The pie will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat individual slices of pie in the oven or an air fryer. I do not recommend microwaving the slices of pie to reheat them, as the phyllo dough will not maintain it’s crisp texture.
To reheat individual pieces of pie in the air fryer, make sure the pieces of pie are not touching so that there’s room for air to circulate around the pieces of pie. Air fry at 400°F for 3-5 minutes.
To reheat individual pieces of pie in the oven, separate the pieces on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 400°F and reheat for 5 minutes.
To reheat the whole pie, place the baking dish, covered, in a 325°F oven and reheat for 15-20 minutes.
What to serve with the pie
This recipe makes 15 generous slices of pie. I thought we’d have to share with neighbors, but my husband and I ended up eating it all in 3 days. We ate it for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it’s just that good!
If you want to serve it as an appetizer, I recommend pairing it with these other traditional Greek recipes.
More zucchini recipes
Zucchini is such a versatile vegetable and you can usually find it at the grocery store year-round. Use it to make all of these delicious zucchini recipes!
Greek Zucchini Pie
Ingredients
- 2 pounds zucchini, peeled and grated
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided – plus more for brushing the phyllo dough
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 pound feta cheese, crumbled
- ¼ cup fresh dill, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 14 sheets Phyllo dough
Instructions
- Make sure to start this recipe by thawing the phyllo dough, either overnight in the fridge, or for 3-4 hours at room temperature.
- Peel and grate the zucchini. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin from the zucchini. Cut off the ends of each zucchini. Use a box grater, salad shooter or the grating attachment on a KitchenAid to grate the zucchini.
- Place the grated zucchini in a large colander in the sink. Sprinkle with salt (just about ¼ teaspoon) and leave the zucchini for at least 20 minutes, up to 60 minutes, to drain.
- While the zucchini is draining, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the chopped onions and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Wrap the zucchini in a towel and squeeze, getting rid of any excess water. Add the zucchini to a large bowl. Add the cooked onions and garlic to the bowl.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil, beaten eggs, greek yogurt, crumbled feta cheese, fresh dill, parsley, mint, salt and pepper to the bowl.
- Stir to combine all of the ingredients and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour some olive oil (around 1/4 – 1/2 cup) in a small bowl and grab a pastry brush.
- Add a sheet of phyllo dough to the bottom of the pan, brush with olive oil. Continue to layer 7 more sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with olive oil before adding the next sheet of dough.
- Cover the phyllo dough with the prepared zucchini filling.
- Top with a sheet of phyllo dough, brush with olive oil. Continue to layer 5 more sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each sheet with olive oil before adding the next sheet of dough.
- Use a sharp knife to cut 6-8 slashes (1-2 inches long) in the top of the pie so that steam can release as the pie bakes in the oven.
- Place in the oven and bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes, or until the top layer of the crust starts to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let rest at least 20 minutes before slicing into 15 pieces and serving.
Notes
- Don’t skip the step of draining the zucchini! Zucchini has a high moisture content. If you simply grate it and add it straight to the filling, the zucchini will release too much liquid as the pie bakes in the oven and you will get a soggy pie. No one wants that!
- Always be sure to thaw the phyllo dough ahead of time! Either place the dough in the refrigerator overnight, or remove it from the freezer and allow it to thaw at room temperature for at least 3 hours.
- Do not remove the phyllo pastry sheets from the box until you’re ready to prepare the pie! Phyllo dough dries out quickly, so you don’t want to remove it from the packaging until you’re ready to use the dough. Once the filling for the pie is prepared and you’ve greased a baking pan, you’re ready to remove the phyllo dough and start assembling the pie.
- This recipe can be made ahead of time. Make the filling up to 24 hours in advance and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble the pie. The entire pie can be assembled and baked up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover and store the pie in the refrigerator. When ready to serve the pie, place it back in the oven, covered, at 325°F for 15-20 minutes to reheat the entire pie.
- Store any leftover pie in the fridge, either covered in the baking dish or in an airtight container. The pie will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To reheat individual pieces of pie in the air fryer, make sure the pieces of pie are not touching so that there’s room for air to circulate around the pieces of pie. Air fry at 400°F for 3-5 minutes.
- To reheat individual pieces of pie in the oven, separate the pieces on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 400°F and reheat for 5 minutes.
- To reheat the whole pie, place the baking dish, covered, in a 325°F oven and reheat for 15-20 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
